England vs Sri Lanka 4th ODI at Lord's

Jos Buttler and Ravi Bopara led a late charge that nearly helped England chase down a record 300 runs in the fourth One-Day International (ODI) match against Sri Lanka at Lord’s. Lasith Malinga helped Sri Lanka defend 12 runs in the last over. Buttler scored the fastest ton by an England player in ODIs but England went down by seven runs.

After conceding a massive 300 for nine, England started on a very bad note as Alastair Cook and Ian Bell were both out early to leave England reeling at 10 for two in 3.2 overs. They might have lost a third wicket as well, as Gary Ballance was adjudged out caught behind, but he reviewed the decision and was found not out. Along with Joe Root, Ballance added 84 runs as both batsmen got to 40s before getting out in quick succession.

Earlier, Kumar Sangakkara led the way with an innings of 112 runs from 104 balls in the fourth One-Day International match between England and Sri Lanka at Lord’s. It was Sangakkara’s first international century at Lord’s. Sri Lanka posted a daunting target of 301 for England.

Sri Lanka started on a positive note, with opener Kusal Perera scoring at a fair clip. However, his fellow opening partner Tillakaratne Dilshan struggled to get the ball off the blocks. Perera got to 19 off 14 balls with two boundaries and a six before edging Harry Gurney to Chris Jordan at slip. That brought in Sangakkara and a very productive period of play for Sri Lanka

First Published on May 31, 2014 10:50 PM ISTLast updated on May 31, 2014 11:55 PM IST